Tenchi Muyo!
by heiress2thethrone
Summary: A reintroduction into the Tenchi Muyo OVA series, this time with a high school AU twist.


Ryoko Hakubi wasn't feeling all that great. She was tired, stiff, her eyes were swimming, and her body felt so heavy, like it was encased in a pool of liquid that she just couldn't get out of. She was also pissed off. If another person told her that she looked like a freeze dried mummy one more time she would scream. That or find some way to blow up this stupid school. Really, it wasn't that she was vain or anything, but she just couldn't help it that she felt so lousy. Really, what reason did she have to go on anyway. She just always felt as if she wasn't really existing with everyone else, as if the world continued on around her and she just remained in some funky pool of liquid all the time in some sort of a stasis.

She glared over her shoulder at a bunch of girls who were whispering rather loudly about her. At the tree that had been dubbed the cave of the demon oh so wittingly by her oh so charming classmates, she sat in the same spot that was her daily exile. She hated this spot, but just couldn't seem to find her way away from it, as if there was some strange magnetic pull that forced her to retreat to the shady recesses beneath the huge old knobby tree every single day that she had been forced to subject herself to the will of higher authority to attend high school. Good thing it was well away from the rest of the school, sitting on the very edge of the town. She was ever so thankful that it was the last day of school before summer.

She knew well what people said about her. Talking about her rather gangly appearance, sunken cheeks from lack of proper nourishment, deep bags under her eyes from the insomnia she long suffered from, cracked nails that showed the outer appearance of her brittle body, and rather bony exterior that she tried to keep covered in the rags she referred to as hell's clothing. It also didn't help that she had natural (though no one would believe her) cyan hair and gold tinted irises. To everyone else she was the Demon child Ryoko, dubbed from her earlier days as a supreme terror. She felt the sad smirk tug at the creases around her lips. Grimacing at the feel of her cracked lips further cracking from the smirk, she sighed settling back into her most hated sanctuary of isolation to stew in her morbid thoughts.

Tenchi Masaki was a simple boy, if not a bit curious. He knew that saying, curiosity killed the cat. But he luckily for him he wasn't a cat, so he figured he was okay in that respect. His grandfather had always warned him about trying to find out about the "Demon" that terrorized Japan, trying to see her up-close, but he had always been thwarted. But now she was within his grasp. He was a bit clueless at times and had no idea that the demon girl was even actually attending his school. He had found out last week from some guys talking about the scary demon that haunted the school. He couldn't believe his luck, he had been interested as a little kid to meet this so called demon, and now without his grandfather's surveillance he could finally see what all the fuss was about. Sure he had heard stories, especially since his grandfather had played a direct hand in dealing with the demon, but he had always wanted to see her first hand.

So that's why Tenchi was currently scurrying around the large expanse of the school's field trying to to get as close as possible to the demon's "cave". In his haste to see the "creature" up close he ended up slipping on the wet grass, as it had rained yesterday, and sliding about 3 feet away from the foot of the tree. Grumbling about the fall and scratching his head where he had hit it, he slowly got up. Still a little struck from the head injury he looked over to the figure perched beneath the tree. "Hmm what's that, oh it's just a giant glowing light, no problem." Tenchi muttered, the light in his eyes coming from the jarring of his head. Shaking his head to refocus he finally realized just what he was looking at. Ryoko's form lay hunched beside the tree, sleeping soundly. To him she did resemble a demon, her skeletal like body hunched in an awkward position and she didn't appear to be breathing. The poor lighting under the shade of the large tree didn't help, giving her unbecoming shadows that turned her face into a ghastly mask. "The demon sleeps here. It wasn't just a legend." He muttered to himself dropping the schoolbag he had slung on his arm in surprise. Yelping he looked around feeling a bit spooked, but none the less satisfied that he had finally seen what his grandfather had forbidden him to. He didn't see what all the hoopla was about. "Well time to go home." Leaning down to grab his bag he yelled in fear when a pale bony hand grabbed his wrist. "Ah, let me go!" Tenchi squirmed trying to pull his hand and bag away from whatever was holding him. Looking up he realized it was the demon!

Ryoko's golden eyes flashed when she realized just who she was holding on to. She had been angry when someone had disturbed her sleep and surprised that someone had actually came into her sanctuary. No one ever talked to her, only whispers behind her back. But she never thought it would have been him. She didn't even know that Tenchi went to this school. It was sheer coincidence. In her excitement she reached forward trying to grab him for a hug. She had missed him. But his scream of terror shocked her into releasing him, allowing him to scramble back. Staring at her aghast he quickly grabbed his bag and fled.

Finally stopping at the bus stop from his full-on run from the field, Tenchi allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. Hopping on to the bus, he looked back to make sure that demon hadn't followed him. His breath finally slowing down as he took a seat on the bus, he silently vowed to never question his grandfather again about anything. The demon girl was more ghastly than he thought, and she had reached for him. He was a bit scared out of his mind, especially the way those eyes had flashed. He was quite sure he wouldn't be able to forget the golden glint for a long time. Good thing it was the last day of classes and he was headed off to his grandfather's shrine in the country. No worry of meeting the demon girl there.

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AN: Hello!! I've decided to try my hand at a Tenchi fanfic. I've been craving to do this for a while, and even though there isn't much of an audience out there anymore, I figure I should do it anyway. I've decided to write a fanfic based mostly off the Tenchi Muyo! Series, but more AU. It's a high-school fic that follows the OVA plot loosely, so I hope you enjoy it. Any comments are welcome and always feel free to tell me what you think or give me some ideas or pointers. Part 2 of Episode 1 will follow shortly. Until then.


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